Royal Shakespeare Company: announces the Albery Theatre as the London venue for a six month season

Royal Shakespeare Company: announces the Albery Theatre as the London venue for a six month season

The Royal Shakespeare Company, has announced the Albery Theatre as the London venue for a six month season of Shakespeare’s Tragedies and Hecuba by Euripides, season runs from 18 November 2004 to 7 May 2005. Also, the Soho Theatre are to host a three week festival of new work from the RSC in March 2005

In addition to the five productions, the season will include an education and outreach programme, including platform debates, behind-the-scenes showcases and a programme of public ‘Audience with’ sessions featuring acclaimed RSC practitioners and alumni.

All four main house productions from the Stratford Festival Season of Shakespearean Tragedies will transfer to the Albery in a deal struck by the Company with the Ambassador Theatre Group who own and manage the venue. A season of new plays produced by the same company of actors transfers to the Soho Theatre in March 2005.

Artistic Director of the RSC, Michael Boyd said: “It’s been my ambition since I took over at the RSC, for London audiences to enjoy a season of our work and not just those productions that commercial producers are willing to take a risk on. The Albery’s a favourite theatre among West End audiences and artists, but the important thing about this season is that we’re bringing productions to London under our own control. These are not co-productions: this is a six month RSC season in the West End that proves we’re serious again about a regular and sustained presence in the capital. “I think it’s absolutely right that we’ll be performing our work in the heart of one of the world’s great entertainment capitals. As a popular dramatist, Shakespeare would understand that. It’s crucial that we use this opportunity to deepen and extend our audience. That’s why the events, education work and young people’s tickets are an essential part of the RSC’s presence in London.”

The RSC has also launched a new initiative to give young people access to the theatre with £5 tickets for all performances in its forthcoming London season at the Albery Theatre. Fifty £5 tickets, including the best seats in the house, will be available to young people aged 16 to 25 for each of the 150 performances in the six-month season. In addition, a number of £15 tickets will be available for key public sector workers, including teachers and nurses, for every matinee performance and for every Monday evening performance.

The season opens with four of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies – Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Macbeth , followed by Vanessa Redgrave playing the title role in Euripides’ Hecuba.

The new work season at the Soho theatre includes Tynan by Richard Nelson and Colin Chambers, Midwinter by Zinnie Harris, Poor Beck by Joanna Laurens as well as The Pilate Workshop devised by Michael Boyd with the acting company.